The after effects of Donald Trump’s Big Lie, the one that says he really won the 2020 presidential election but shady characters like vote tabulating machine companies, his own Department of Justice, Republicans, Democrats, the Italian government, and others conspired to steal it for Joe Biden, are still being felt. The most immediate effect was seen on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters violently attacked the Capitol Building to stop the election from being certified. More long-term effects include a host of new election legislation being passed in red states, which could have far worse longer-term effects.
The bill will try to stop state-level Republicans from fulfilling Trump's dream of giving them the power to overturn future elections. https://t.co/0bqbO2T8oZ
— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) June 21, 2021
In traditionally red states that either went blue, like Georgia, or got dangerously close, like Texas, new laws have been introduced and some even passed to allow partisan state officials to remove people from state election boards and replace them with partisan picks. Already, the implications of this have been shown in Georgia.
According to The Huffington Post:
‘The anti-election subversion bills come as state-level Republicans are using their newfound powers to remove local election officials for no stated cause. Of the 10 local officials removed so far in Georgia, five are Black and most are Democrats, according to The New York Times. They are all likely to be replaced by Republicans. States including Arizona and Texas are considering similar election subversion legislation.’
Betsy Ross and Doris Granny D Haddock oppose the Texas bill that would allow its government to overturn an election result, the will of the people, simply by someone claiming the election was fraudulent. What happens in TX effects NH and all states. https://t.co/SvUogDDFLx
— Bob Perry 4 NH (@Perry4NH) June 21, 2021
Democrats are proposing new legislation to stop these new policy changes, changes that Trump could have only dreamed of in 2020. Republicans have insisted that the bills are necessary to protect election integrity, but there has been no mention as yet of how partisan officials would do that more efficiently or thoroughly than independent election officials.
Rep. Nikema Williams (D-GA) said in a statement that:
‘Republicans across the country continue to invent new tricks to give themselves control over our elections. Their latest efforts seek to remove protections for the non-partisan election officials who ensure the integrity of our democracy. Protecting election officials from partisan interference is one way Congress can secure free and fair elections for everyone, no matter their zip code.’
"Another way to interpret last week’s events is that Manchin slyly revealed Republicans’ stated concerns about stolen elections — and their professed desire to work across the aisle — as the baloney they always were."https://t.co/EBaC9znsRt
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) June 22, 2021
The legislation comes as Democrats calls for a vote in the Senate on Tuesday on the For the People Act, legislation that calls for election reform to ensure access to the ballot box and remove what is known as “dark money” from politics. Republicans have been vocally opposed to doing so.
‘This push to counter election subversion comes alongside the efforts by congressional Democrats to pass the For the People Act, a sweeping package of voting rights, campaign finance, redistricting and ethics reforms, also known as H.R. 1. The For the People Act, which passed the House in May, faces its first test in the Senate on Tuesday afternoon when it is expected to face a Republican filibuster.’
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Democrats might revisit the filibuster rules in the Senate if major voting rights and election reform legislation fails to pass this week. https://t.co/NxPdkKLNJU
— NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) June 21, 2021
